Liquid-fuel burner.



H. STAPPER & J. c. VAN EYK.

LlQUlD FUEL BURNER.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 25.1918.

Patented Feb. 25, 1919.

WITNESSES WNW snares Paar carp.

HENDRIX STAIPPER, OF HOBOKEN, AND JOHN C. VAN EYK, OF JERSEY CI lY, NEW

JERSEY. I

LIQUID-FUEL BURNER.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. as, rare.

Application ,flled July 25, 1918. Serial-No. 246,830.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, HnNDRIK STAPPER, a subject ofthe Queen of Holland, and resident of Hoboken, county of Hudson, and State of New Jersey, and JOHN C. VAN EYK, a subject of the Queen. of Holland, and resident of Jersey City, county of Hudson, and

erating the gas supply for keeping up the flame, whilethe major portion of the heat remains available for general purposes, such as heating stoves, kitchen ranges, water boilers and the like.

The invention has for its object a construction and relative arrangement of parts in devices of this type, such that a thoroughly dry, highly heated gas giving a blue flame and combining the greatest possible economy of fuel with a maximum intensity of heat production.

While our invention may be embodied in man different forms and sizes, the form whic we have elected for purposes of our present disclosure, is one particularly adapted in size and arrangement of parts for use .under the pot hole of an ordinary kitchen I paratus.

ran e.

O ne feature of our invention consists in providing for application of heat to the liquid fuel throughout a relat1vely long path of rogressively increasing heat.

he preferred way of insuring this is to arrange the gas generating portion of the supply conduit in the form of a spiral coil, the fuel reservoir being connected to the outer end of the spiral and the gas burning jet to the inner end of the splral. One of these connections may be utilized as the structural support for holding the coil a desired predetermined distance from the jet. Preferably, the spiral coil is arranged horizontally with the gas outlet vertically under the center thereof. and arranged to dlrect the flame. along the vertical axis of the coil at right angles to the plane thereof.

A coil of sufficient length for our purpose may be constructed from pipe of few enough turns and great enough structural strength to be self-supporting, but we prefer to utilize the flame spreader as one member of the clamp tending to maintain the coil in a single plane.

A very useful feature of our invention is arranging a circular plate approximately concentric with the coil, between the coil and the flame so that the flame strikesabout highly heated and hence promotes perfectcombustion instead of impaired combustion as would be the case if the flame played directly upon the gas generating coils, the temperature of which is necessarily kept down by the evaporation of the liquid fuel therein.

In auto-gasgenerating-apparatus of this kind, it is common touse bodies of conducting materials, such as wires within the heated gas generating portion of the ap- One feature of our invention consists in employing lengths of wire of much smaller cross section than the pipe but sufficient in number to half or two-thirds fill the same. We preferably employ two sets of these wires, one of considerable length extending from the liquid fuel inlet around approximately one turn of the coil, and another set preferably fewer in number in the radial pipe leading from the center of the coil outward to the burner connection. The

chamber.

wires in the coil part of the pipe-may be to break up the highly heated out-going gas into finely divided streams, thereby filtering, drying and to some extent super-heating the gas before it passes on to the burner.

The above and other features and advantages of our invention will be more fully understood from the following description in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a top plan view with parts of the gas generating coil broken away to horizontal section;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation partly in vertical section on the line 22, Fig. 1; and

Fig. 3 is a cross section of the conduit on the-line 33, Fig. 1.

In these drawings, the coil 1 which may be iron pipe say in diameter, is arranged in spiral coils, preferably about two in number, the outer coil having a tangential extension 2, provided with a coupling 3 for connection to any desired reservoir source ofliquid fuel, and the inner end connecting through a pipe elbow 4 with anupwardly inclined and more or less radial pipe 5, af-

fording a conduit for escape of the gas generated in the coil. As shown in the drawings, the pipe 5 is connected to and supported by pipe elbow 6, vertical pipe 7 and base 8. The base 8 also serves as support for the horizontal pipe 9, closed at one end by cap 10 and having in direct axial alinement with the center of the gas generating coil, a gas outlet 11. The base 8 which is preferably of cast metal, is formed with a recess 12 serving as a combined support and elbow coupling for pipes 7 and 9, and with a recess or receptacle 13. The primary purpose of the leceptaele is to hold an initial charge of fuel to be ignited for the purpose of initially heating the apparatus up to a point where it begins to generate gas necessary to support the flame from jet 11 thereby initiating the normal process of heat production and gas generation by the flame of the gas so produced.

Directly above the gas jet 11, is arranged the circular, preferably conical, flame defleeting and combustion promoting plate 20,

The second bundle of wires serves It'is secured by bolt 21 and nut 22 to a cross bar 23, the plate 20 and bar 23 acting as clamps to assist in maintaining the coils of the pipe against displacement from the hor1- zontal plane.

The long wires 14, preferably five in number, and preferably about one-eighth inch-in diameter, are inserted in the outer coil, preferably by driving them in after-the pipe is coiled.

The short wires 15 in the exit pipe 5 may beof the same size and are preferably fewer in number.

It will be noted that with the proportions shown, the long wires 14 extend throughout all that portion of the pipe which is exposed to the flame spreading beyond the edges of the defleetingplate 20, while the short wires 15 extend through the pipe 5 which also crosses the flame path.

In operation a small amount of alcohol, gasolene or kerosene may be placed in the recess 13 in the base 8 and ignited. The liquid fuel may then be turned on from the reservoir, not shown. The limited quantity thereof will begin to flow through coupling 3 and will spread upon and creep along the wires 14, becoming gradually heated and finally vaporized. As soon as a vapor pressure begins to accumulate, the jet at 11 will ignite and the apparatus will gradually be heated up to normal operating condition.

In normal operation the liquid fuel will be supplied at the inlet under a certain pressure and in a suitable quantity for supplying a jet of the required power and pressure through 11.

By making the jet outlet 11 of the proper size, say .06 to .04 inch in diameter for an apparatus of the size above indicated, the amount of gas generated and the resulting flame and heat may be regulated by varying the pressure or amount of the liquid fuel supplied to the device. Moreover, the device will be automatically self-regulating within quite wide limits. That is to say, by -selecting a very small jet, a very considerable pressure of gas may be accumulated in the conduit, this pressure operating in two ways, first, to increase the velocity and power of the discharge of gas through 11, and second creating a back pressure upon the source of supply of liquid fuel tending to diminish the supply. 1th these factors of operation properly selected. it will be evident that dangerous internal pressures will be avoided because rise of pressure Will decrease the amount of inflowing liquid, thereby decreasing the amount of gas generated, thereby decreasing the pressure and power of the flame, thereby decreasing the heat supplied to the coil. Falling pressure will operate in the opposite way to permit inflow of more liquid,

naaaaea generating more gas, increasing pressure and the1 flame and heat thereof applied to the col It will be noted that by reason of the spiral construction of the device, the exit portion of the coil will be much hotter than the entrance portion and while in actual practice, there may be some irregularities in the distribution of heat at different points, the wires 14 will serve to equalize such differences. A very important factor is the cooling effect of the liquid fuel, the gradual heating and vaporization of which as it progresses through the coil will absorb considerable quantities of. heat. Obviously, the amount so absorbed will become less and less in the progress of the fuel from the entrance to the exit of the coil and after asification is complete, there will be very 'little heat absorption and wires 15 will become very hot. These wires together with the upward inclination of the pipe 5 which contains them will insure that only dry gas will pass out to the flame jet during normal operation.

In the preferred construction where the flame deflecting, heat retaining, combustion promoting plate 20 is employed, the latter has a very important relation to the gas generating functions of the coil 1. The

plate deflects the cylindrical jet into an annular flame flowing upward around its edges and this part of the flame will be the hottest part where the gases are so highly heated and combustion so nearly complete that impingement on the cooler surfaces of the coil will not cause deposits of soot r otherwise waste fuel by impairing combustion. Hence, we are able to arrange the entire outer turns of the coil directly in the flame, notwithstanding the fact that these are the portions where the liquid fuel is absorbing the large amounts of heat necessary to bring the liquid to the boiling point and then change it from liquid to gaseous form. Ihis part of the process once accomplished, it is obvious that the smaller amounts of heat applied to the inner turns of the coil will nevertheless maintain them at an extremely high temperature, because dryin and superheating of as absorbs very litt e heat as compared wit the liquid heating and boiling operation.

Referring to the ultimate function of the device as a heater, it will be evident that all of the heat except that actually absorbed in the fuel in rendering it a better combustible will be available for exterior heating purposes and that with a proper proportion of parts, the flame may be made to extend outward and around the outermost coils in an approximately circular wall of flame which is particularly useful where the device is to be, used under the pot hole of the stove to heat pots, kettles, pans, etc. llhe circular flame arrangement is also a useful disposition of the heat for ahnost all purposes where heating is required.

We claim: Y

1. In an apparatus of the class described, a suitable base of non-combustible material formed with a liquid retainin receptacle, a horizontal pipe screw-threa ed into said base at one end, extending horizontally above said receptacle and provided with a vertical jetoutlet, a second pipe also screwthreaded in said base, communicating with said burner pipe and extending upwardly, a transversely extending pipe secured at the upper end of the latter pipe, and a spiral coil of pipe secured to and supported by the outer end of the latter pipe. I

2. In an apparatus of the class described, a suitable base of non-combustible material formed with a liquid retaining receptacle, a horizontal pipe screw-threaded into said base at one. end, extending horizontally above said receptacle and provided with a vertical jet outlet, a second pipe also screwthreaded in said base, communicating with said burner pipe and extending upwardly, a transversely extending pipe secured at the upper end of the latter pipe, and a spiral coil of pipe secured to and supported by the outer end of the latter pipe in horizontal position and with its center directly over said jet.

3. In an apparatus of the class described, a suitable base of non-combustible material formed with a liquid retaining receptacle, 2. horizontal pipe screw-threaded into said base at oneend, extending horizontally above said receptacle and provided with a vertical jet outlet, a second pipe also screw-threaded in said base, communicatin with said burner base at one end, extending horizontally above said receptacle and provided with a vertical jet outlet, a second pipe also screwthreaded in said base, communicating with said burner pipe and extending upwardly, a transversely extending pipe secured at the upper end of the latter pipe, and a spiral coil of pipe secured to and supported by the outer end of the latter pipe, in combination with a slightly coned circular plate arranged between said coil and said flame with the axis of the cone coincident with the flame jet.

5. In an apparatus of the class described, a suitable base of non-combustible material formed with a liquid retaining receptacle, a horizontal pipe screw-threaded into said base at one end, extending horizontally above said receptacle and provided with a vertical jet outlet, a second pipe also screwthreaded in said base, communicating with said burner pipe and extending upwardly, a transversely extending, pipe secured at the i aeasei upper end of the latter pipe, and a spiral coil of pipe secured to and supported by the 5 outer end of the latter pipe in horizontal position and with its center directly over said jet, in combination with a slightly coned circular plate arranged between said coil and said flame with the axis of the cone 20 coincident with the flame jet.

Signed at New York city, in the county of New York and-State of New York this 23d day of July, 1918.

HENDRIK STAPPER. JOHN C. VAN EYK. 

